Written by Andrew A. Duffy for timescolumnist.com

Ellen Publicover stacks beer at Vancouver Island Brewery. Photograph by: Adrian Lam, Times Colonis Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Craft+beers+steal+share+from+giants/4784703/story.html#ixzz1MQ4tKIYrIt’s nearly mid May, yet the skies are dull and threaten rain, there’s tougher rules in place against drinking and driving and the harmonized sales tax has eaten into the hospitality budgets of most households.

These are tough hurdles to navigate for anyone selling beer. So there’s plenty of reason to question just why Victoria craft beer brewers and brewpubs are smiling.

At this time of year beerdrinking season should have kicked off, patios should be filled with lagerswilling sun worshippers and back yards should be beer-and-burger territory.

That isn’t really happening. However, a playoff run from the Vancouver Canucks seems to be making up for some of the bad weather and driving beer sales, while the more-cultured palate of the Victoria beer drinker seems to be the biggest reason for the sunny dispositions of these brewers.